Three Republicans to primary in 47th District House race

There will be a three-way primary to determine the Republican candidate in the 47th District state House of Representatives race after none of the three candidates received enough delegate votes in two rounds of ballots, but all qualified for a primary without the need of a petition drive.

“Everybody qualifies for a primary, and we all signed our paperwork tonight,” said candidate Michael Meadows of Sprague.

Meadows received four delegate votes, fellow Sprague resident Noah Enslow received seven votes and Doug Dubitsky of Chaplin received nine votes. With 20 delegates voting, a candidate needed 11 votes to win the endorsement, and a minimum of three votes to qualify for a primary without a petition.

The three Republicans are vying for the chance to challenge incumbent freshman Democrat Brian Sear of Canterbury, who is running for re-election. The Democratic convention will be held Tuesday at the Chaplin Senior Center.

The district covers the northern section of Norwich and the towns of Sprague, Scotland, Lebanon, Franklin, Lisbon, Chaplin, Hampton and Canterbury.